News
4 Miners Buried Alive As Excavation Pit Collapses In Plateau
Four illegal miners have died after a sand excavation pit collapsed at Tangur community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident occurred at about 2:20pm on Tuesday, according to a report by counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, after troops responded to reports of a sand collapse involving suspected illegal miners along a river line.
“The troops visited the scene and confirmed that four victims had died as a result of the collapse,” Makama reported.
The deceased were identified as Mallam Fahad Aliyu and three women whose identities had not been established at the time of the report. Their relatives recovered the bodies for burial.
During preliminary inquiries, troops engaged the community leader, who reportedly said he was unaware of the illegal mining activities in the area.
Further investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the collapse and the extent of illegal mining activities at the site.
The Plateau incident comes barely a week after 37 suspected illegal miners died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State. The deaths followed their arrest during anti-illegal mining operations on September 15 and 16.
The Federal Government has since inaugurated a 10-member independent committee to investigate the Niger deaths, while the NSCDC Niger State Commandant and 20 other officers were suspended pending the outcome of the probe.
The cause of the 37 deaths has not been established. Authorities have ordered investigations and forensic examinations to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
News
Ondo Ponmo Sellers’ Association President Collapses In Court
A business. woman, identified as the President of the Ponmo Sellers’ Association in Ondo State, reportedly collapsed in court during her arraignment in Akure on Tuesday following her arrest over the alleged discovery of human faeces at her ponmo processing centre.
The incident comes days after the Chairman of Akure South Local Government Area, Hon. Gbenga Fasua, ordered the immediate closure of a popular ponmo supply store on Igboliki Street in Akure following an environmental sanitation inspection that reportedly uncovered two buckets containing human faeces on the premises.
The discovery was made during the October edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise conducted on Saturday, when Fasua led a monitoring team through Oke Aro, Iro and Igboliki streets to assess residents’ and businesses’ compliance with environmental sanitation regulations.
According to information from the inspection, the ponmo business had reportedly operated in the area for more than 21 years.
The operator, who was present during the inspection, reportedly identified herself as the President of the Ponmo Sellers’ Association in Ondo State.
Following the discovery, Fasua ordered the immediate closure of the premises and directed the disposal of all ponmo products at the shop.
He also ordered that the operator be prosecuted in accordance with applicable local and state environmental laws.
The businesswoman was subsequently arrested and brought before a court in Akure on Tuesday for arraignment.
She reportedly collapsed during the court proceedings.
News
2027: Tinubu Will Defeat Opposition On Achievements – Alausa
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure a second term in 2027, insisting that his administration’s achievements will earn him another mandate.
Alausa, who was recently appointed Director of Education Sector Mobilisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, also accused opposition parties of lacking clear policy alternatives for Nigerians.
He made the remarks while describing the opposition’s criticism of the Tinubu administration as driven by envy rather than constructive engagement.
“Whatever nonsense these people (opposition) are talking about is out of sheer envy. They can’t deliver, they have been tested, they have no clue of what to do for Nigerians,” Alausa said.
“This president is giving Nigerians tangible benefits. Let’s be objective, that is what we have said and I am very unapologetic about this, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win his second term squarely based on his achievements.”
The minister argued that Tinubu had introduced changes across different sectors of the economy and deserved re-election based on his administration’s record.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transformed every sector of this country and he deserves to be re-elected come January 16, 2027, based on his accomplishments,” he said.
Alausa urged Nigerians not to be swayed by opposition parties, accusing them of promoting division instead of presenting a clear programme for national development.
“And please, let’s not listen to the opposition parties, they don’t have any clear agenda for this country. They are just there to cause division amongst us,” he added.
Defending the administration’s record in education, Alausa cited its engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying the Federal Government had fulfilled its agreement with the union.
He also said the government was working to ensure that students completed four-year university programmes within the stipulated period.
The minister further pointed to the absence of an ASUU strike since Tinubu assumed office as evidence of improved relations between the Federal Government and university lecturers.
International News
Europe On Alert After Supermarket Freezers Hit By Cyber-Attacks In 10 Countries
A spate of cyber-attacks that hit supermarket chains across at least 10 European countries on Monday has prompted European Union officials to warn of a deliberate attempt to disrupt the food supply chain.
Supermarkets have reported problems in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Sweden, and the significant increase in freezer temperatures has forced retailers to discard food.
Temperatures in chains across Europe reportedly rose as high as 50C (122F).
No-one has yet admitted carrying out the cyber-attacks.
Supermarket chains said the temperatures of refrigerators and freezers in some of their shops soared as high as 50C
The European Union has raised concerns about the attacks, which come three weeks after a cyber-attack disrupted as many as 700 French grocery stores, causing food losses estimated at tens of millions of euros.
The security of refrigeration systems as well as other devices that can be monitored remotely has heightened concerns about government-backed hybrid attacks.
The EU’s food and agriculture commissioner, Christophe Hansen, said the bloc was taking the incidents very seriously and warned of further disruption in the future.
Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier was careful not to attribute blame, but said: “These incidents of course show once again how cyber-attacks can disrupt essential services and affect citizens’ daily lives.”
“These are not isolated incidents and of course we have to be collectively resilient and prepared for such cyber incidents.”
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